The search for higher truth must be conducted in the midst of the forces of life, with all its demands and seductions. So teaches The Bhagavad Gita, an ancient text that has been called the quintessence of the spirituality of India. In it, the great warrior Arjuna contemplates the meaning of life, just moments before entering the battlefield. "Why do I exist? Why should I fight against my loved ones? And where shall I go after I die?" he asks himself in search for knowledge of the Absolute.

Sayings of the Buddha: The Dhammapada

Some sources say that the Buddha was born on or around April 8, 563 B.C. How many years have you been around without discovering his wisdom? According to tradition, the words of The Dhammapada come directly from the mouth of Buddha. This translation in particular is among the most poetic and spiritually insightful.

Tao Te Ching

The Tao Te Ching, a 6th century B.C. Chinese masterpiece, is one of the world's most revered sources of spiritual wisdom. This authoritative translation by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English captures the essence of Lao Tsu's language, bringing the Tao Te Ching's powerful message to a whole new generation of students.

The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners

The Bhagavad Gita has been called India's greatest contribution to the world. In this audio version of his classic book The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners, Jack Hawley makes its wisdom clear to Western seekers.

Jaya: A Retelling of the Mahabharata

In this enthralling retelling of India’s greatest epic - the Mahabharata, originally known as Jaya - Devdutt Pattanaik seamlessly weaves into a single narrative plots from the Sanskrit classic as well as its many folk and regional variants, including the Pandavani of Chattisgarh, Gondhal of Maharashtra, Terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and Yakshagana of Karnataka.

The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda

Rarely in a lifetime does a new spiritual classic appear that has the power to change people's lives and transform future generations. This is such a book. The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda shares the profound insights of Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, as remembered by one of his few remaining direct disciples, Swami Kriyananda.

The Upanishads: A New Translation

The Upanishads are often considered the most important literature from ancient India. Yet many academic translators fail to capture the work's philosophical and spiritual subtlety, while others convey its poetry at the cost of literal meaning. This new translation by Vernon Katz and Thomas Egenes fills the need for an Upanishads that is clear, simple, and insightful - yet remains faithful to the original Sanskrit.

Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation

Prince Arjuna faces a dilemma that troubles many people sooner or later - whether to take action that is necessary but morally ambiguous. The difference is that Arjuna’s action is to wage war against his own family. With the armies arrayed, Arjuna loses his nerve. Krishna, his charioteer and incarnation of divine consciousness, begins to teach him about the nature of God and of himself. Arjuna learns that he can attain liberation through union with God, and that there are several possible paths to this goal.

Love, Service, Devotion, and the Ultimate Surrender: Ram Dass on the Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita is a gem so precious in India's spiritual treasury that many regard it not as a volume of sacred verse, but as a living manifestation of the Divine. In the summer of 1974, inside a balmy Boulder, Colorado, warehouse that served as a main hall of a fledgling Naropa Institute, some say a minor miracle occured: The reawakening of the Gita's living presence, as it unfolded in a series of wisdom teachings led by Ram Dass.

The Ramayana

The Ramayana is one of the best-known epics in the world. It is the tale of Rama, the Prince of Ayodhya, who exiles himself to the forest for 14 years to honor his father's Word. In the forest, Rama, his wife, Sita, and his brother, Lakshmana, meet new friends and unusual foes, and each day brings new adventures. But Ravana of Lanka, the King of Demons, ruins it all by abducting Sita. To rescue her, Rama enlists the help of Hanuman and his monkey army.

Sacred Verses, Healing Sounds, Volumes I and II: The Bhagavad Gita and Hymns of the Rig Veda

In this illuminating audio experience, Deepak Chopra invites listeners to experience the therapeutic power of sound through language and music. In Volume I, Deepak explains how language forms our material reality and shapes our beliefs and behavior. Listeners are treated to a selection of sacred verses from the Bhagavad Gita that spontaneously generate insight, intuition, and inner harmony.

The Glorious Bhagavad Gita Sung in English

The Glorious Bhagavad Gita renders in English all 18 chapters of this holy spiritual text from 3,500 years ago, filled with esoteric and practical wisdom about a wide variety of life questions and experiences, recited to a meter and tune based on the Sanskrit version as sung by Anandamayi Ma.

Seven Secrets of Shiva

Shiva, 'the destroyer' among the Hindu trinity (of gods), is depicted in many contradictory manners. He is an ascetic who wears animal skin, his body smeared with ashes. Contradictory to his wild nature, he is also depicted as having a family, with a beautiful wife and two children. There are many more such varied representations of Shiva, the most prominent of these being the Linga and the Nataraja. The author, Devdutt Pattanaik, introduces the readers to these varied aspects and representations.

Easing into the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

This simple introduction to both the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is a gentle way to ease into these ancient texts. Crafted for use in Hatha Yoga studios, teacher training programs and experiential classroom venues, students will find the language of the book friendly and engaging while teachers will find a rich offering of dialogue-encouraging questions and activities to enrich the learning experience.

The Spirit of the Vedas

Thousands of years ago, self-realized masters compiled their direct experiences and inner wisdom in the form of the Vedas. This presentation gives you the key to make the universal, non-sectarian teachings of these ancient scriptures an integral part of your life.

Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, explains how the essence of the Vedas directs you to awaken your own inner fire and become a light to yourself and the worlds, and how to live a life of harmony and happiness.

The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita, "The Song of the Lord", is the best known of all the Indian scriptures, and Easwaran's reliable and accessible version has consistently been the best-selling translation. Easwaran's introduction places the Gita in its historical setting and brings out the universality and timelessness of its teachings. Chapter introductions give clear explanations of key concepts in that chapter.

The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta

Although theologians are apt to explain away these teachings in various ways, the Vedantists believe Christ meant what he said. Listen to this remarkable recording and discover how Vedanta goes to the very heart of Christ's teaching.Vedanta came to the West in the late 19th century, not to supplant any religion, but to bring a more tangible spirituality to those who seek it. Its goal has never been to proselytize, but to help man realize the divinity within him.

Tao Te Ching: A New English Version

In 81 brief chapters, Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, provides advice that imparts balance and perspective, as well as a serene and generous spirit. It teaches us how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao: the basic principle of the universe.

Autobiography of a Yogi

When Autobiography of a Yogi first appeared in 1946, it was acclaimed as a landmark work in its field. The New York Times hailed it as "a rare account". Newsweek pronounced it "fascinating". The San Francisco Chronicle declared, "Yogananda presents a convincing case for yoga, and those who 'came to scoff' may remain 'to pray." Today it is still one of the most widely read and respected books ever published on the wisdom of the East.

Publisher's Summary

The search for higher truth must be conducted in the midst of the forces of life, with all its demands and seductions. So teaches The Bhagavad Gita, an ancient text that has been called the quintessence of the spirituality of India. In it, the great warrior Arjuna contemplates the meaning of life, just moments before entering the battlefield. "Why do I exist? Why should I fight against my loved ones? And where shall I go after I die?" he asks himself in search for knowledge of the Absolute.

What the Critics Say

"Hearing The Bhagavad Gita, rather than reading it, helps one understand why many cultures to this very day refuse to commit their sacred texts to writing, believing that script would profane them." (Huston Smith, author of The Religions of Man)

I bought this book and The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley at the same time. FIrst, I can't downlaod both to the same device because Audible gave them the same filename. After dividing them between devices, I listened to both. I loved, loved LOVED the walkthrough by Jack Hawley - but this one (The Bhagavad Gita, read by Jacob Needleman)...not so much.

The Bhagavad Gita is an incredible story with so many layers....none of which are discernable here. The translation itself sounds all right, and the quality of the recording is fine, but the reader...yikes. If his mission is to put me to sleep, he can consider this a triumph. LIsten to the whole sample before you buy - but, until Audible makes another version with a better reader available, I recommend you get the Walkthrough by Jack Hawley instead and give this version a miss.

This is a book that changes your entire orientation to living. It is beautiful, profound, and inspiring. I have read the translation that Gandhi wrote while in prison, but it is wonderful to hear this version read time and time again. It is humbling and fulfilling all at once.

I have enjoyed listening to this many times. I've got hundreds of Audible books that I've listened to once, but this one I like to go back to. I can just start listening at any spot and it takes me to another place right away. Perhaps, it's because I read this material many years ago and so it is already quite familiar to me, so I enjoy the uncomplicated translation which doesn't require hundreds of footnotes and asides to follow.
Although narration is more subjective, I like the calm droning quality, with powerful undertones of Jacob Needleman's voice, which seems to fit the material quite well.

This is not something that will keep you awake during your commute. Save this for a time when you can lay back on the couch and think a lot. The pace is slow and the narrator sonorous - I suspect that you could play this while you sleep and wake up a well-rested and better person.

I often don't agree with others who say a reader is hard to listen to so you might not find this recording as bad as I did. The reading is monotone and lifeless. It makes me think of a 4th grade student reading their book report in front of the class. I quit listening after 4-5 minutes. Be sure you listen to the sample before you buy. I should have. The Bhagavad Gita is magnificent and deserves better treatment.

The reader lacks to enter energy in his reading. The dark full voice dies away in every sentence and after an hour or so its just to much. Arjuna!... Is there no light in this book? I very much think so, but for me it needs another reader.

I enjoyed listening to this through my fasting period and also because I could stop and rewind when needed, it’s very insightful but I have to say the reader is very monotone and to some extent pushed you to a little sense of sleepiness but with focus and concentration its a good listen.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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